Improvement in grain-binders



4 Sheets--Shee11.

1. GARRA RD Gr ain-Binder.

Patented Oct- 26 1875.

W/ TWESi-Sflj.

. 4 Sheets--Sh'eet 2- GARRARD.

- Grain-Binder. N0.l69,252. Paxemd0ct.26,1s75.

N PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D C.

\ I 4Sheets--Sheet 3. 1. GARRARD.

Grain-Binder.

Patented Oct. 26,1875.

'IHIIHII IIHII III I I ll" N- PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHFR, WASHINGTON D C4 Sheets-Sheet 4. GAR BAR D.

Grain-Binder.

No.169 252, Patented 0ct.26,I875.

WITNESSES NVEN Ofi.

I M W I 6 w m NF'ETERS, PHOTO-LITHUGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C,

UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JEPTHA cARRAitD, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,252, datedOctober 26, 1875 application filed September 11, 1875. I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JEPTHA GARRARD, ofCincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Grain Binders, of which thefollowing is a specification:

My invention consists, first, in the combination, with a twister havinga projecting core or center, as described in another application, of asleeve constructed with arms and grooves to hold the ends of the wire,to permit their free escape when'the sheaf is discharged. The inventionfurther consists in the combination of the cradle, the former, thetwister, and suitable wire-carrying devices, adapted and arranged topress the bundle into approximately cylindrical shape, and then releaseit, leaving the straw free to move upon itself while the band is drawntightly about it under the action of the twister, as hereinafter setforth. The invention further consists in combining, with a cradle orgrain-support, a twister having a fixed relation thereto, and formedwith a prominence projecting beyond its twistingarms and through thesaid cradle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, showing thecarrying-arms partly elevated. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is afront elevation, showing the position of the parts after the wire ispassed around the bundle. Fig. 4. is an axial section of the twister andthe sleeve within which it works. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of thesame. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the twister and itsaccess0ries,'illustrating the mode of twisting the wire upon the bundle.Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the action of the former on the bundlein different positions. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of a segment-rack forimparting rotation to the twister, and of a device attached to said rackfor holding and cutting the wire. Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9,Fig.8. Figs. 10 and 11 are, respectively, a side and front elevation ofthe wire-cutter on a larger scale. Figs. 12 and 13 are, respectively, afront and side elevation of the sleeve within which the shaft of thetwister turns. Fig. 14 is a front elevation of the twister. Fig. 15 is aview of a twister of modified form.

The terms front, rear, and side, in the above description, refer to thefront, rear,

and side of the whole machine, and not to what may otherwise be regardedas the front, rear, or side of a detached part, irrespectively of itsposition in the machine.

with cradle-fingers p q. One or more supplemental carrying-arms, Z, arealso keyed to the shaft S, on either or both sides of the maincarrying-arm J, as illustrated in full and dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thesupplemental arm or arms are constructed with cradle-fingers parallelwith those of the main carrying-arm J, and adapted to act in conjunctiontherewith, forming together a cradle, into which the grain is raked, andby which it is carried upward to the binding apparatus.

The present invention is not limited in its connection to any patentraking mechanism.

A suitable raking apparatus of my invention will form the subject of aseparate application for Letters Patent.

At the extremity of the horizontal extension I of the frame I is pivoteda former, H, consisting of an arm, which is pressed downward by aspring, h, causing it to bear upon the bundle of grain in the cradleformed by the arms J Z. 9 represents a wheel, on which is coiled thewire y. The wire is passed through eyes or guides ff, the latter beingat the extremity of the arm H. From thence the wire is carried to thecutting and holding jaws c d, which project upward from the bracket G,and is there held in readiness to be passed around a bundle of grain.

Fig. 1 shows the position of the parts when the cradle has begun torise, and before it reaches the former-arm H. The former-arm at thistime may be in the position shown in Fig. 3, its extremity resting onthe shaft S. The contact of the grain in the cradle will gradually raisethe former H, as illustrated in the diagram, Fig. 7, where A representsthe bundle of grain gradually acquiring a cylindrical shape under thepressure of the former-arm H during the upward movement of the cradle. 7

By reference to Figs. 1 and 3 in the drawings, it will be seen that,owing to the relative positions of the cradle, the former-arm, and thewire 3 the bundle of straw will be pressed down by the action of thespring h until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 3, the wirerendering from the reel g, and being carried i J around the bundle ofstraw, as shown in Fig. 3, in position to be caught and acted upon bythe twister, now to be described. This twister is carried by thecradle-arm J, and consists, essentially, of a number of curved arms, m,projecting radially from the shaft 11, the end of which is of a conicalform, and projects beyond the plane of the said arms m. On the base ofthe twister-shaft is keyed a pinion, which gears with the segment-racky, to impart the required motion to the rotary twister.

The portion of the shaft i directly back of the arms m fits within asleeve, k, which is constructed with projecting arms Z Z 0 and spiralgrooves 11, the parts being so constructed and arranged that, as thesleeve and twister are carried upward by the motion of the arm J, thetwo parts of the wire y will be received beneath or behind the two armsZ, and will pass into the spiral grooves n, which assist in holding thewire before and after it is released from the nippers c d, until thecompletion of the twist. Both ends of the wire are swept into andsecured by the sleeve at a half-revolution of the twister, and at thispoint the nippers 0 01 open to release the first wire, and shortlyafterward clutch the second. During the formation of the twist by therotation of the twister m the extremities of the wire band are held bythe sleeve 70, the extremities of the wire band being snubbed around theshaft of the twister within the sleeve. This snubbing may give anytension required.

To cause the movable jaw c to bear upon and snub the wire, it isconstructed with a projecting arm, 0, Fig. 10, which is pressed down bya spring, b, which may be secured to a pin, 5, on the lug d, and helddown by the hook or yoke .90. A guiding-stud, 'v, projecting backwardfrom the base of the cradle, is received in the guiding-groove u, so asto hold the pinion K firmly in gear with the rack 3 As soon as thetwisting has begun, and the wire is carried into the grooves n of thesleeve k, a cam-flange, r,on the cradle-arm passes over the nipper-lugc, holding the nipper firmly on the wire until the twister has begun itswork. The nippenarm c is then thrown up by the tappet or, so as torelease the end of the wire. The motion of the twister now carries a newportion of the wire between the cutters, and this is immediately severedby the contact of the depressed heel of the cam-flange r with thenipper-arm c, the construction of the jaws being such that a portion ofthe wire attached to the shaft is left free, while the end of thatportion going to the extremity of the former-arm H is snubbed, andfirmly held in readiness to be carried around a new bundle at the nextstroke of the machine. The 0on tinned motion of the twister m now formsa conical twist of wire on the projecting point of the twister-shaft z,the projecting end of the shaft causing the coil or twist to be carriedclosely to the surface of the bundle, so as to form it in cylindricalshape. The arms J Z being then carried beyond the bracket G, the

sheaf is discharged from the cradle, the form of the spiral grooves mpermitting the free escape of the ends of the wire after the twist iscompleted.

The characteristic value of my invention is,

that the wire is so applied and twisted that it is closed firmly aroundand up to the surface of a rounded bundle. From the nature of theinvention there results a continuous reduction of the diameter of thebundle until the twistiug stops, and no change of form in the bundle ispermitted after the twist is completed.

Straw freshly cut is practically inelastic, and when once pressed willbeheld in the required shape by a comparatively slight pressure.

My invention contemplates the use of any necessary pressure, of whateveramount, to bunch and approximately round the bundle, and the cessationof all pressure at the point where the twister begins to work.

The pressure is attained in my invention by the use of the former tocompress and approximately round the bundle while the latter is held inthe moving arms, and continuing in action no longer than the beginningof the movement of the twister, so that the tighteuing of the wireduring the twist shall occur in the. absence of all pressure orconstraint on the straw by the former.

The reason for the cessation of pressure during the twist is this: thetendency of a bundie of straw free to move upon itself is to rounditself from whatevershape it may have had' impressed upon it. Therefore,when the former leaves the bundle and the twister begins its work, thereduction of the diameter of the bundle, free to move upon itself by theaction of the spindle, must result in a cylindrical shape for thebundle. All that is necessary to a good bundle is to fix this shape. Aperfect bundle is impossible unless this shape be fixed.

The wire may be used with any tension deemed necessary; but I do notdepend on the wire for any compressing function until the twister beginsto work, and then its function properly is to round the bundle andretain it, the spindle taking up the slack in the wire, which resultsfrom the bundle assuming a perfectly cylindrical shape.

It is essential to the full and effective operation of this inventionthat the twist be formed in actual contact with the surface of thebundle, while the latter is free to move on itself,

so that it may assume its final cylindrical form while the twister isrevolving. To accomplish this I have provided means whereby the bundleis formed into approximately cylindrical shape; but instead of beingheld rigidly by clamping-arms while the twist 'is formed, as in manybinders heretofore devised, it is released during the twistingoperation, to enable it to take its permanent cylindrical shape Whilethe twist is formed. The twist that secures the bundle is formed at thecircumference of such cylindrical bundle, instead of leaving any slackor non-circular portion fin the band to be taken up by the expansion ofthe bundle when it is discharged.

The following is claimed as new:

1. The combination of a sleeve, k, and a twister, constructed andoperating substantially as herein set forth, to hold the loose ends ofthe wire band by snubbing them while the twister is in operation, and topermit their free escape when the twist is completed.

2. The combination of the former H, the carrying-arms J Z, the sleeveis, the arms I, the. twister-arms m, and the spindle i, in conjunction,substantially as herein described, to press the bundle intoapproximately cylindrical shape, and then release it while the wire isdrawn tightly about it, and locked by twisting, as set forth.

3. In combination with a cradle or grainsupport, which leaves the bundlefree to round itself during the twisting of the wire, a twister having afixed relation to said cradle, and constructed substantially as setforth, with a prominence projecting beyond the plane of thetwisting-arms, and through the cradle or surface on which the grainrests.

J EPTHA GARRARD. Witnesses OOTAVIUS KNIGHT,

WALTER ALLEN.

